The purpose of this study was to determine the within and between session
reliability, and inter-limb asymmetries, in four unilateral jump
tests in elite youth female soccer players. Given the low plyometric
training age and paucity of data for this population, this research study
was warranted. Nineteen elite youth female soccer players (age: 10 ±
1.1 years; height: 141 ± 7.9 cm; body mass: 35 ± 7.1 kg) were recruited
from an elite Tier 1 Regional Talent Centre of a professional soccer club.
Tests included the single leg countermovement jump (SLCMJ), single
leg hop, triple hop, and crossover hops for distance with reliability
quantified via the coefficient of variation (CV), intraclass correlation
coefficient (ICC), and standard error of the measurement (SEM).
Inter-limb asymmetries were also calculated. Both test sessions
resulted in excellent within-session reliability (ICC range = 0.81-0.99;
SEM range = 0.11-0.49; and CV range = 2.6-6.0%). Between-session
reliability was deemed good to excellent (ICC range = 0.72-0.99 and
pooled CV = 2.7-5.7%). Asymmetries were deemed small across both
test sessions with the highest value reported in the SLCMJ (6.12%).
Results highlight that unilateral jump tests can be considered a reliable
test protocol in elite youth female soccer players, which is important
considering youth athletes probably do not have a vast plyometric
training age. Furthermore, inter-limb differences appear small in the
present sample which may also be explained by their limited training
age, given that asymmetries have previously been highlighted to be a
product of limb function over time.

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